Justice for all cannot happen if we ignore wrongdoing
As an artist, I explore contemporary social issues to understand them better and gain a sense of control over how they affect my life and the lives of others. My hope is that this exhibition stimulates thought, and opens eyes and hearts to our place in the world. I believe art gives our lives focus so we can ask questions about that world. Whether we create it or view it, art brings us face-to-face with ourselves. This is where change begins.
The art here is activist in nature. It produces a tension that can transform. My goal, with titles like “Racism is Highly Adaptable” and “A Clothesline Hung with Tattered Ideals,” is to agitate for the relevance of issues that make us uneasy and ask you to embrace the struggle for change and stay open to the possibilities. Look carefully at the artwork and companion narratives. Look for the lines that act like barriers and blockades. They represent the injustice many groups face but that all of us sustain and support. Deeply seated in history, many are designed to exclude or deny. Are you at the front of the line or the back? Where is your starting line? Did you ever cross over a borderline? Do you always wait in line or are you privileged enough to cut in? Skillfully drawn, such divisions never occur by accident. Yet most of us do nothing to fight injustice while groups with the least power suffer the consequences.
What I see is an epidemic of malign power, immoderate privilege and pervasive inequality. This exhibition explores ideas for moving closer to a society in which the playing field is level, where justice for all can happen because we call wrongdoing to account. In my work, I try to watch, listen and amplify my sensibilities so I can illuminate something worth revealing. I attempt to give my observations reverence. My hope is that you feel this reverence through the art and words in this exhibition. And will join in a dialogue about moving closer to a society in which many forms of injustice and systemic oppression— now hidden in plain sight—are revealed and confronted.
Kelly Parks Snider is a visual artist who explores contemporary social, political, and cultural issues through the arts. Her work is displayed in both public and private galleries. Read full bio »
EVENTS
HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT AND COMMERCIAL LAND AT THE RIVER ARTS CENTER GALLERY
Tue, Sep 8, 2015 to Mon, Dec 7, 2015
Opening Reception September 24, 2015 5:30 - 7:30 Art Talk 6pm
Panel discussion with collaborators October 15, 2015 at 7pm
River Art Center Gallery
105 9 street
Prairie Du Sac, WI
M-F 8am -8pm and by appointment 608-643-5215
www.RiverArtsInc,org
Racism is highly adaptable.
Collaborators and Partners
The Brico Fund
Contributing activists include Jacquelyn L. Boggess, Lisa Graves, Robert McChesney, John Nichols, David Pate, Matthew Rothschild, Martin Scanlan, Melissa K. Scanlan and Inger L. Stole.